Eclipse
by SeaLight
Summary: [Set after Sunset] A long, unusual time of peace has fallen over the Clans. But it is soon destroyed when a group of strange cats appear in ThunderClan. They claim to be of a different, unheard of Clan... [Full summary inside, contains spoilers for Sunset
1. Summary

-1_In _Eclipse_… _

_Hawkfrost is dead, Brambleclaw is deputy, Squirrelflight is expecting Brambleclaw's kits. Nothing could go wrong, could it? But it does. A large group of cats appears on ThunderClan territory, claiming to be from other cats that have ancestors that walk in StarClan. They bring startling news, more of a warning, that will break the peace that has held for so long. In addition, the ominous statement of Hawkfrost's before he died comes back to haunt the Clan._

_"Fool! Do you think I did this alone? Do you think your safe within your own Clan? Think again!"_

_What could he mean? Who is the other cat? Mysterious events lead the Clan to think that this cat is back to doing dirty duties._

Silvermoon — aka Silverfeather, almost-white she-cat with darker spots, leader

Iceheart — thick-furred white tom with icy blue eyes

Moonfrost — white she-cat with pale yellow-white eyes and cream markings between her ears

Stormcloud — white tom with one green and one blue eye

Aspensun — aka Aspenleaf, golden she-cat, medicine cat

Eagleeye — sleek dark tabby tom

Ironheart — iron gray tom with green eyes

Mistyflower — silver-white she-cat with blue eyes


	2. Prologue

Prologue

"Are you sure about this?" A pretty, young white she-cat hissed.

A group of eight cats were moving at a brisk pace along a lake. There was little movement in the dark, inky night. Only Silverpelt and a sliver of the moon penetrated the darkness and lit the way for the cats.

"Yes, yes, very sure," An older, battle-scarred silver she-cat replied. "We must warn them about the Poison…"

-

_"Have you told them Bluestar?" A sleek silver she-cat asked._

_"Spottedleaf has told her," A blue-gray she-cat responded. They both seemed to be made of starlight, the silver one seeming weary._

_"It has been long since we have been in contact, Bluestar," The silver one sighed._

_"Yes, Wavemoon, very long…" The gray one replied. The two gazed into a silver pool seemingly made of liquid moon- and starlight._

_"They shall be there soon…" The silver cat murmured. As she spoke, the pool's image shifted to show that of the eight traveling cats. "They shall be there within a moonrise…"_

**A/N: I know, short chapter. But it's the prologue! I'd appreciate reviews…**


	3. Chapter One

Chapter One

Leafpool blinked open her amber eyes blearily. Something didn't seem right. She sat up, alert, glancing around her. Where was her den? Then the realization hit her. She must be in a dream from StarClan! She could feel Spottedleaf's gentle, calm, presence, could scent the flowery fragrance that the former ThunderClan medicine cat always brought.

"Spottedleaf?" She asked. "What do you want to show me?"

A star twinkled brightly overhead and a pretty tortoiseshell slipped smoothly off of a rock by the lake. She seemed to be made of starlight as she meowed a greeting to Leafpool. Without another word, she turned setting a brisk pace along the shore of the lake. Leafpool followed suit, pondering at what StarClan would be showing her this time.

They didn't have to travel far, for Leafpool soon spotted a silver-white she-cat with darker gray spots on her pelt. She had never seen this cat before, and the cat seemed different from the rest of the cats she had met in StarClan. Leafpool just couldn't figure out what.

Spottedleaf halted in front of the she-cat and turned to stand by the cat's side, facing Leafpool. The two cats from StarClan exchanged glances. The silver cat's was uneasy while Spottedleaf's was calm and soothing. Leafpool shifted her amber gaze from one to another, not knowing what to do. Finally, she decided to speak first.

"Spottedleaf, who is this?" She asked interestedly. "I've never heard of a cat with such peculiar coloring as her. Surely Firestar or someone would've told me about her?"

The silver cat smiled gently. "The reason you have never heard of me, Leafpool, is because I am not part of StarClan," She murmured gently. "I am Silvermoon, or Silverfeather, as some in your Clans know me as. I am leader of OceanClan and I am journeying to your Clan."

She offered nothing else, as Leafpool was suddenly roused awake by a sharp paw jabbing into her side. She opened her amber eyes, into the real world this time. It was Squirrelflight.

"Squirrelflight!" Leafpool leapt to her paws immediately, wondering why her sister was out of the nursery. Squirrelflight was expecting kits, and Leafpool was quite fretful. After all, it was her own sister. "What are you doing out of the nursery?"

"I'm not a kit, you know!" Squirrelflight sighed exasperatedly. "First Brambleclaw, now you! And Brambleclaw has a _reason _to be worried!"

"But I'm your sister, and I'm the medicine cat," Leafpool countered. "And you _should_ be in the nursery."

"But it's moons before I kit!" Squirrelflight complained. "Just _one_ outing?" She wheedled.

"You can't even expect kits for that long!" Leafpool rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just bring Brambleclaw and some other warrior with you." She didn't want to waste any energy arguing with Squirrelflight. After all, she had this new message with StarClan to contemplate.

Wearing a somewhat triumphant grin, Squirrelflight stalked out of the clearing with her tail held high. Leafpool watched her sister gather up Brambleclaw, Berrypaw, and Thornclaw before they left camp. The tabby she-cat sighed. She still had to interpret what Silvermoon and Spottedleaf meant.

Even though all had been peaceful in the forest for the past few moons, there will still things that nudged at Leafpool. Cinderkit _did_ seem different than her littermates, proving the fact that she was Cinderpelt. And Stormfur and Brook. She knew that Stormfur and Brook didn't want to talk about why they were staying with Clans and why they had left the Tribe. Perhaps it was something like Sharptooth, or something else.

Just then, Whiteleaf limped in. The warrior had been apprenticed several moonrises ago. She winced as Leafpool went over to assess the problem.

"What happened?" Leafpool asked.

"I accidentally stepped on a stray vine from a thorn bush," Whiteleaf said. "And it gave me a good thorn in the pad."

"Okay…" Leafpool murmured. "I'm going to pull it out. It might hurt, but I need you to stay still."

The white she-cat nodded in reply and Leafpool used her paws to hold Whiteleaf's paw still, then she grabbed the thorn with her teeth. She waited a few seconds, judging when it was best to removed it, then suddenly yanked, pulling it out. The wound bled slightly and Leafpool immediately applied some cobwebs. Once she was confident that the flow of blood had been stemmed, she took a bundle of herbs over to Whiteleaf. Picking out some marigold leaves, she squeezed some of the juice onto the wound. Then she applied some more cobwebs.

"The marigold is to prevent any infection," Leafpool explained. "Take it easy for a while, you don't want to get it infected or cause it to start bleeding again. If it does start to irritate you or start to bleed, then come see me."

"Okay, thanks Leafpool!" Whiteleaf meowed before limping out of the den.

Her amber eyes flickered to watch Whiteleaf head over to the warrior's den before she sighed and glanced around. This dream she had was so ominous and mysterious. It was full of secrets that had yet to be unlocked. Should she tell Firestar? She didn't know. After all this calm peace, this would certainly disturb Firestar, but he should be warned.

She padded out of her den and headed toward the leader's den, pausing slightly at the entrance. She knew that Firestar would recognize her scent, but she didn't want to be rude and barge in.

"Come in, Leafpool," Came her father's voice, drifting out of the den.

Leafpool entered the den, and settled down in a sandy dip on the ground where Firestar had politely gestured. Sandstorm was there as well, and the two had been chatting easily.

"Is there anything the matter?" Firestar asked.

"Well…" Leafpool began to feel a bit uncertain. After all, everyone was happy with the peace that hadn't been broken for several moons. She didn't need to break it now. But she finally decided that it was best to have the Clan warned. "Spottedleaf came to me."

Firestar looked much more alert now at the mention that StarClan had spoken. Of course, StarClan had been in steady contact with Leafpool over the past few moons, but Leafpool had never needed to go to Firestar for quite a while.

"She introduced me to a she-cat named Silvermoon, or Silverfeather, she said," Leafpool continued, feeling slightly more confident now that she had gotten the start out. "Silvermoon said that she was leader of OceanClan, and she had the most peculiar coloring. We were surely with StarClan, yet she said that she was not part of StarClan."

Leafpool knew that it was quite possible for cats to walk in other's dreams. She had done so before, to teach Mothwing's apprentice, Willowpaw, about StarClan and to give a message. But she had never heard of OceanClan before.

"OceanClan? Silvermoon?" Firestar repeated, looking as if he were thinking about something. "I can't say that I've heard of them before… But perhaps one of the elders have. You could ask them. But this is a new development…"

He trailed off, green eyes seeming to drift into a faraway place that no one but him could see. Perhaps his own thoughts. Sandstorm stood up, and signaled for Leafpool to do the same. They left Firestar to his own thoughts, and split ways once they exited.

Leafpool headed over to the elder's den. Firestar was right, perhaps the elders _would_ know something. Longtail, eyes misted over with blindness, was eating a chaffinch. Goldenflower was grooming herself, as was Mousefur.

"Why hello Leafpool," Goldenflower meowed pleasantly, although Leafpool could tell that due to his sharpened sense of scent and hearing, Longtail had noticed her first. "What brings you here?"

"Uh… I was wondering if any of you have heard of a certain Silverfeather?" Leafpool asked.

"Silverfeather? Can't say I have," Longtail finally spoke. "But then again, I'm not as old as _them_." His tail flicked toward Goldenflower and Mousefur.

"Sorry, Leafpool, I do not recall a Silverfeather anywhere in my memory," Goldenflower said.

"Well I sure remember Silverfeather! Silver-white with darker spots, eh? Quite unique coloring."

**(A/N: Thanks Slushfeather for the reviews! I really appreciate it! )**


	4. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"You do?" Leafpool asked Mousefur incredulously. "Can you remember anything about her?"

"Of course! She was a friendly, spirited little thing. Would've made a fine deputy if I don't say so myself! She was Bluestar's apprentice, when she was back as Bluefur, that is," Mousefur purred, obviously delighted with bringing back such memories. "Sad though, she disappeared shortly after she was made a warrior, she's about the same age as young Longtail here. The whole Clan was quite devastated with such a loss, but we all moved on and forgot her soon enough."

"Oh…" Leafpool murmured. Did this really help? After all, if Silvermoon was Silverfeather, Silverfeather had disappeared, hadn't she? But perhaps to go to another Clan! One that no one had never heard of! It made sense, although it seemed quite unlikely. "Thank you, Mousefur. Goldenflower, Longtail." She added, dipping her head in brief respect to each before she returned to her own den.

Wanting to do something rather than sit around in her den all day, Leafpool checked over her stock of herbs. Since it was nearing greenleaf, there wouldn't be much sickness going around. There would be more wounds and such, like Whiteleaf's thorn. Still… it wouldn't hurt to be prepared. Some marigold would be good… and some more.

She stood at the entrance of her den, glancing around to see who she could bring on her herb gathering trip. Spotting Brightheart, she immediately picked the she-cat.

"Brightheart!" She called. The white and ginger she-cat turned around and immediately went over to Leafpool. "Could you come with me to gather some herbs?" She asked.

"Sure," Brightheart replied quickly.

The two set a brisk pace out of camp, Leafpool leading the way. They soon reached a clearing where several herbs could be found. Motioning with her tail, Leafpool gestured to Brightheart to pick some marigold.

-

"How much longer, Silvermoon?" A thick-furred white tom with icy blue eyes hissed.

"Not much, not much, Iceheart," A silver-white she-cat with peculiar darker markings murmured as a large group of cats padded along the lakeshore. "We shall be there soon. By the time the moon rises."

"Do you think the Poison has managed to seep here?" A white tom with two different colored eyes asked.

"No, they have not been able to… yet. We have come here sooner, if only narrowly," A golden she-cat replied quietly.

"Down!" A large black tom hissed.

Instinctively, all the cats dropped smoothly into a crouch, eyes like bright jewels as they glanced around cautiously. Thankfully, they were downwind, and the unfamiliar scent of another group of cats reahed them. It grew stronger, than began to fade away. Still tense and alert, they continued forward cautiously. They could not risk being caught on this Clan's territory. It would mean trouble for them, and the Clan they were traveling to.

"Thank you, Thundercloud," A sleek dark brown tom muttered.

The black tom only grunted before dropping back to walk next to a pretty white she-cat. They crept onward, until they all spotted the sharp flick of a silver-white tail, Silvermoon's signal for them to stop, as they had reached an area where scents had changed. A border.

"Are we there?" The white she-cat asked quietly. "Is this the border to the Clan?"

The silver-white she-cat scented the air cautiously, pausing for a while before she answered. "Yes, this is it."

The group did not move for a moment. Then, as if they could read each other's mind, they headed forward as one, toward the border between the two territories. Soon, a new scent flooded over them, of different cats.

"This is ThunderClan territory?"

-

Suddenly, a scent that was certainly not one of a ThunderClan cat wafted toward Leafpool. It was strangely familiar, as if she had known a cat with a similar scent. But she could not place who or what. She quickly and silently went over to Brightheart.

"There are cats of a Clan which I do not know," She meowed in a hushed voice. "Shall we go and alert Firestar?"

Brightheart showed her reply by turning quickly and dashing back toward camp, Leafpool following.

**(A/N: I really appreciate the reviews, Spritey & Slushfeather!**

**And to those who don't review, please do! I don't even care if you put flames, I'm willing to take any suggestions, comments, etc. I won't get angry in turn...)**


	5. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"There are cats coming close," Thundercloud hissed. "They must know we're here!"

"Okay then," Silvermoon replied. "None of you speak! I will be the one to negotiate with them. If any of you say even a word, it can mess everything up and they might attack. The ThunderClan I knew was fair and reasonable, but I do not know what they have turned into now."

There was an audible hiss from Eagleeye, most likely out of annoyance, but he would not disobey a direct order from his leader. They crouched, half hidden in the underbrush as they waited for the other cats to reveal themselves.

Soon, five cats stalked purposefully up until a few fox lengths away, their eyes narrowed at the OceanClan group. Two of them looked ready to attack, but a ginger tom, presumably the leader of the group, flicked his tail. His position was not aggressive, his expression, fair, as if he was willing to negotiate, but wary as well.

"Who are you?" The ginger tom asked.

"I am Silvermoon, leader of OceanClan. And these are a few of my warriors, as well as my medicine cat," Silvermoon said, stepping slightly out of the underbrush. She was clearly proud and noble, any cat could see that.

One of the cats, a light tabby she-cat, seemed to have an epiphany, her amber eyes lighting up with a sudden realization. She made a move, perhaps to tell her leader, but the tom already seemed to realize something as well.

"OceanClan? Silvermoon?" He murmured quietly before regaining his composure. "I am Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, and this is ThunderClan territory you're on!"

"I'm quite aware of that," Silvermoon replied coolly. "And we are here to warn your Clan."

"As if you're even a leader!" A dark tabby tom suddenly said. "Do you not respect StarClan? You don't even take on the name of -star! And there is no such Clan as OceanClan!"

"That's enough Brambleclaw," Firestar said sharply. "Let's hear what Silvermoon has to say."

"OceanClan is one of the Four Clans of the Shore. But that is not important now, there is a greater danger coming to the forest!" Silvermoon yowled. "The middle of a territory is not a good place to explain things! You do not know who may be sneaking around."

"Very well, we shall escort you back to our camp," Firestar responded calmly.

-

There were many curious, and many hostile glances at the group of cats from the so-called "OceanClan." Leafpool had to work to contain her excitement. So many mysteries could be unlocked so very soon, just by hearing what Silvermoon had to say! But they still had to explain to the Clan why the cats were here, they'd want to know.

Firestar immediately bounded onto his rock and the group of cats settled to the side of the cats that were already gathering, even though Firestar had not called for them.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!" He yowled. Once he was sure that all cats were present, he began speaking. "As some of you may have noticed, we have brought some new cats back with us. They are from OceanClan and are led by the leader, Silvermoon. I expect all of you to treat them equally as you would treat your fellow warriors while they stay here."

With those few words, Firestar leapt off of the rock, flicking his tail to the group of OceanClan cats, as well as Brambleclaw and Leafpool to follow him into his den.

Leafpool hurried over to Firestar's den, and was the last one in, being the farthest from it in the first place. She settled into a sandy dip, as did the other cats at Firestar's silent gesture. Then, they all turned to glance at Silvermoon, even the cats from OceanClan.

"First, I shall tell you of the dangers that come. And then, I shall explain why we have come," Silvermoon began, as if taking the expectant looks as an invitation to start explaining. "I know that your Clan has had peace for several moons. StarClan have told me. But I also know that a great danger will come, StarClan have told me to come and warn you." The she-cat glanced at Leafpool before taking a breath, as if preparing to launch into a long tale, and that, she did.

"OceanClan is one of the Four Clans of the Shore. The other Clans are NightClan, SunClan, and EarthClan. Several moons ago, we received a mysterious prophecy. And then, cats attacked at a Gathering. This force that the prophecy told us about, the cats that attacked us at the Gathering, are Poison. They call themselves PoisonClan, but we call them Poison. Poison was made up of cats from every Clan, every Clan was tainted by Poison, and none were pure of it. Us Clans of the Shore fought Poison, which gathered strength not only from cats in the Clans, but from rogues and loners as well. The battle was long and harsh, took many of our greatest warriors, but we prevailed. We thought that we would no longer have to worry about Poison. But we were wrong. I visited StarClan and they told me that Poison had been moving, and was now aiming for other Clans. They told me to bring a specific eight other cats along to warn these Clans, to make sure these Clans do not get tainted by Poison.

"We have come in time, just barely, and we hope that we can make the cats of these Clans see the right side, and not be blinded by what Poison appears to offer you. They are nothing but a pack of lies," With that, Silvermoon had finished.

Leafpool was intrigued by Silvermoon's unusual wording. First, how could Silvermoon speak so much with StarClan? Was that not the medicine cat's job? And why did she not carry the name of -star? In addition, her usage of 'I visited StarClan' appeared very odd to Leafpool. Didn't StarClan visit the cats? Not the cats visit StarClan!

"Tell us about you," Firestar finally said. He did not question a single word that Silvermoon had said.

"I was originally of ThunderClan," Silvermoon began yet again. "I was born here, raised here. My mentor was Bluestar. Then… StarClan visited me one night, they showed me a faraway Clan in trouble, told me that I was destined to help them become the finest Clan ever. So I left, I journeyed to the shores where I was taken in by OceanClan. They were in times of trouble, and had been told by StarClan that a cat would help them. Their leader was a complete wreck, they had no deputy. So I became deputy, and then the leader disappeared. So I became leader. I helped reorganize them, into what it is today."

"And who are these cats?" Brambleclaw growled, his tail flicking at the other eight cats from OceanClan.

"This is Aspensun, OceanClan's medicine cat," She replied, tail flicking toward the golden she-cat. "Iceheart, one of my senior warriors." This was a thick-furred white tom with icy blue eyes. "Eagleeye, another one of my senior warriors." This was a sleek dark tabby tom that seemed to carry a strange resemblance to Brambleclaw. "Stormcloud, my… son." A white tom with a blue and green eye. "Moonfrost, my daughter." A pretty white she-cat with cream markings in between her ears and milky colored eyes. "Ironheart, my son." An iron gray tom. "Thundercloud, son of my deputy." A large black tom with gleaming golden eyes. "And Mistyflower, Thundercloud's sister." A silver-white she-cat.

Leafpool thought that the last four warriors named were younger, probably fairly new apprentices. She could somehow sense that Iceheart would have a cold, brisk personality, although he seemed to be quite close to Silvermoon, and that Eagleeye was no doubt a loyal and fierce warrior.

"This is quite a group you've brought," Firestar answered evenly, glancing at all the cats. "This is Brambleclaw, my deputy. And Leafpool, our medicine cat."

"How long do you plan to stay?" He eyed Eagleeye with an unusual expression.

Leafpool could tell that it wasn't wariness, perhaps respect? Or maybe Brambleclaw felt that Eagleeye would be a formidable opponent and it was best to get on his good side and be friends, rather than on his bad side and be enemies.

"Until the forest has been purified of Poison." It was Eagleeye who responded this time. His voice was nearly a growl.

"You do understand that we will not permit you to sit around all day, of course?" Firestar inquired. His voice was firm, but his green eyes showed no hostility. "You'll have to hunt for yourselves and the Clan during your stay."

"I _am _a Clan leader after all," Silvermoon's answer had a sharp edge to it. "Of course I understand."

Leafpool suddenly noticed something unusual with Aspensun. The medicine cat's eyes were closed and she seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, the golden she-cat's amber eyes flew wide open in shock.

"No…" She whispered. The other cats all turned to look at Aspensun. "They've come. Poison has come."

**(A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Please R&R! I'll even take flames if you just REVIEW! --)**


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